In the aftermath of the 11 September attacks in 2001, George W. Bush's administration implemented policies that directly affect freedom of expression and civil liberties across society. The most important of these is the USA Patriot Act, which was passed in October 2001. The act, which was revised into a law in 2006, gives the government the means to manage terrorism. It enabled the administration to set up a department of national security, monitor the communications of suspected terrorists and increase anti-immigration measures.

The effect of such acts on academic freedom is not as straightforward as one might think. In her introduction, Beshara Doumani discusses some of the historical reasons that tied war to censorship and some of the myths that Bush's “either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists” statement has now thrown up. In a post-9/11 world the question of what an academic should or should not do has changed. Doumani lists some of these new codes of academic contact: be careful what books you take out of the library; be careful what articles you agree to publish; if you are a foreigner conducting scientific research in the US, be careful to align your findings with what the Bush administration might feel comfortable with. These at best limit civil liberties and at worst constitute near nonexistent academic freedom.

At stake is how modernity negotiates the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. Since higher institutions, independent of their degree of commercialization, are largely responsible for the distribution and expansion of knowledge, the academy should continue to operate as an informed and independent body. As Doumani argues, “The question is not simply how to preserve academic freedom but rather what to do with it” (45). Negotiating academic freedom has legal, philosophical and political dimensions. Robert Post's, Judith Butler's and Philippa Strum's essays respectively address these aspects of the problem. They are followed by three essays which weigh the larger historical context against the specific challenges that academics have to face. The book also contains an invaluable appendix consisting of several documents of direct interest such as the “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.”

This book is a good opening salvo on a debate that has just reignited. Doumani's rhetoric is strong and often absolute. But this is a healthy debate that needs to be engaged across all academic disciplines.